Junko Kunihiro: Accumulating Experience in Community Collaboration

2022/03/22

Ome City, Tokyo, is a town of 134,000 people that combines urban and rural elements. I was appointed as the town manager for the central urban area, and this is my tenth year. It is a town with a blessed natural environment, where mountains and rivers are within walking distance of the railway station, while still retaining the framework of a former post station. When I first arrived, it showed typical signs of decline. It was no longer a destination for starting businesses, and the number of vacant stores not being put up for rent was increasing. Major urban functions were also dispersed to the east, and given the topography of narrow hills pressed between mountains and rivers, recreating a "compact city" did not seem appropriate. How could we build a new economy suited to this place and envision the urban space? My mind was racing.

Initially, the local government and Chamber of Commerce members were skeptical about the potential of the urban area. Lacking local knowledge, I proposed repeatedly conducting demonstration projects to supplement the functions missing from the current urban area and showing the possibilities through visitor analysis. I had the members share information on what trends were appearing in visitor hotspots from various events in the city, and we continued to collect data by launching various projects such as beer gardens and movie screenings. Gradually, we grew more confident that we could transform the urban area into something meaningful with our own hands.

In January 2015, just as we were beginning to see a glimmer of hope, the only supermarket in front of the station closed due to a building dispute. The local government approached several operators behind the scenes about providing alternative land or setting up a temporary supermarket, but there were no positive responses. In April, "Machitsukuri Ome Co., Ltd." was established. The marche, which had been planned as a last resort, became a regular event starting in September. The number of regular customers grew steadily. Meanwhile, the difficult surveys of vacant stores and negotiations with property owners also gradually progressed, and tours by Akitempo Real Estate began in February of the following year. Fifty people participated in the first tour, and everyone was surprised by the number of rental applications, which exceeded the six properties we had worked so hard to develop. Since then, we have continued to reach out to owners and hold regular tours; the number of businesses opened through this project has reached 30, and the total number of openings in the central urban area, including those induced by it, is approaching 120.

For many people, "town development" has various meanings. We now receive a wide range of consultations, not only about living or starting a business downtown but also about education and cultural promotion. Collaborative projects in central urban areas are tough undertakings that involve a lot of interest adjustment, but I am now convinced that the experience of regional collaboration through public-private partnerships will serve as the foundation for future town development.